Tick, tock, And All Too Soon
by SimonStormcloak
Summary: After a short battle with a Sontaran, Martha finds out about regeneration, and is about to witness it for the first time... when something goes terribly wrong.


A laser beam blazed past the Doctor's head, hitting the wall behind him. Luckily, he ducked just in time to dodge the shot.

He jumped over the small sandstone wall protecting him from the Sontaran's shots. He put his feet up against the wall.

"Oh, this is not good!" The Doctor yelled to his friend Martha, who was sitting beside him.

"Doctor, what are we going to do?" She asked frantically.

"What we always do," The Doctor panted. "RUN."

And run they did. The Doctor leaped up and ran, past the wall, through the doors of the hallway and out into the Sahara desert. Standing before him was a box. A big blue police box.

'POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX' It said. He smiled. That was it. The TARDIS.

The duo had been taking a lovely vacation in Apalapucia (the second most beautiful place in the universe), until a Sontaran battleship arrived and attempted to take over the planet. Fortunately, with the help of the Doctor and Martha, Apalapucia was safely defended against the Sontaran attack. Unfortunately, a stray Sontaran opened fire on the TARDIS while it was heading for earth. They crashed into the desert, where a face-off with the Sontaran was imminent. They had spent the whole day trying to get to the TARDIS without the Sontaran opening fire. They had devised a plan where the Doctor would distract the Sontaran from his position at the TARDIS, while Martha would run to it and use the key to unlock it. It didn't really go well, and the two ended up crouched behind a wall with one of the most aggressive races in the universe hot on their tail.

"Come on Martha, let's go!"

Martha broke through the doors and ran to the TARDIS.

"You are too fast for me." She said, leaning against the doors of the magnificent time machine.

"Oh, it's nice to get some exercise, eh?" He laughed. "Alright, no time, let's go."

"No time?" Martha smiled. "We got all eternity!" They both shared a laugh. Opening the doors to the TARDIS, Martha went inside.

"Just wait a second Martha. I got to tie my shoe." He said. He leaned down and tied his right shoe, a nice red converse.

"All done, here we go!" He yelled. He ran through the open doors, looking out upon the Sahara.

At that moment, the Sontaran leaped out behind cover.

"WATCH OUT!" Martha yelled, but it was too late. The Sontaran fired. The laser hit the Doctor square in the chest. He fell forward, out of the TARDIS and into the sand.

"NO!" Martha screamed, running up to the Doctor's limp body.

"Well," The Sontaran said from beyond the wall. "My job here is done. Run along, human. It's the Time Lord I was after."

Martha looked up at the Sontaran with hateful eyes.

"Doctor?" She said, her voice cracking. "Are you alive?"

The Doctor rolled over as an answer. Opening his eyes, he wheezed.

"Doctor!" She screamed. "You're going to be okay!"

The Doctor opened his mouth and gasped, "Yes, I am."

"Good." Martha said. "Now, take some deep breath-"

"Wait." The Doctor said. "Martha... There's something..." He coughed. "You need to know."

"What is it?" Martha yelled. "Anything to save you!"

"There's, something that happens... when a Time Lord dies. He... regenerates."

"He whats?"

"Regenerates!" He wheezed. "Fully heal, gets better, becomes whole again!"

"Oh, well that's good, right?"

"No..." The Doctor breathed. "I change... into a completely new person."

"As in, appearance-wise?"

"Yes! Personality, appearance, sometimes even..." He coughed. "Memory."

"Well, it's better than dying, right?"

"Yes, it... is."

The Doctor raised his head, standing up shakily. Martha noticed something different. He was glowing yellow. The aura surrounded his body.

"It's the end of me, Martha." He said. "Time... for... another."

And then, his body exploded into the aura, the yellow shooting out from his hands, mouth, eyes, all over the body! It was a marvellous sight for Martha, who had never before seen a Time Lord regenerate. But then there was a noise. Louder than the explosion caused by regeneration. The light coming from the Doctor died instantly, and he fell to the ground. He was still the same old Doctor. But with a sizzling hole in his chest.

"Another shot, just for good measure." Said the Sontaran, behind the Doctor's body.

"No, this can't be happening!" Martha screamed. The Sontaran had shot the Doctor. Again, while he was in regeneration. The Sontaran turned and walked into the horizon, disappearing behind the sand dune.

Martha leaned against the Doctor. She couldn't hear anything. He wasn't breathing. She ran into the TARDIS and emerged with a stethoscope. She put it to the left side of the Doctor's chest. Nothing. She put it to the right. Nothing. The Doctor was dead. Both his hearts had stopped.

She pulled his body over. Staring into the void were two brown eyes. Tears fell from Martha's cheeks as she hopelessly pounded on the Doctor's chest, hoping for any chance of reviving him. Nothing happened. She had failed. The last Time Lord in the universe, dead. She sobbed as she saw the last of a once great race, wiped from all creation, never to breath again. Closing his eyes, Martha curled up to the Doctor's lifeless body, realizing that it was a long way home, and she had no idea how to get there.


End file.
